Just a though - I really must spend more time thinking about grown up stuff - but what is with the doing the same gag twice routine that's crept into this series? First there was the double helping of the 'eggs' joke in the Daleky one and now The Statue of Liberty as a Weeping Angel X 2. The thing may have worked, ominous footsteps and all, if we didn't already know what it was. They showed us 'the monster' in the opening minutes already!

And not to mention it didn't move despite not being looked at.

But yeah, this season so far has largely been disappointing. I think there've been moments of potential, such as Amy & Rory falling in the last episode, but they've been really badly handled. That scene would have been MUCH more powerful if we hadn't been shown them falling. Why? The camera work was just terrible, so were the effects, and it just ruined the shock of it.

I just didn't "feel" it. The emotion didn't come across and impact me as much as I had hoped it would. I felt more sadness when the Dr. lost Rose, and then it got all twisted and mangled again when they had their farewell talk on the beach.

I agree about the Statue of Liberty. The first time was cool. The second time was cumbersome. She should have been able to eat them more than once.

I had no problem with the book. The Dr. was encountering River at a point when she hadn't wrote it yet. What I haven't figured out yet, is at what point does River get put in the library computer. I know it's at some point in her future and his past, but eventually, that has to come to pass for both...right?

But honestly, I'll take the worst Dr. Who episode over none. I'm really looking forward to the next part of the season.

As a lover of ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints (I only have two, a legacy of the days when I had money and could buy art) I think these are wonderful. Slightly OT for this thread but too deliciously beautiful not to share:

Seconded! And Moffat has announced they'll be back for the Christmas Special. Yay!

On the subject of last Saturday's episode, I thought it was the best of a bad lot. I loved the look and feel of the thing - has the show ever tried to do a proper, noir-ish gumshoe story before? - and I felt it integrated the Pond's relationship with the action of the story more successfully than 'The Power of Three'.

But the plot holes and inconsistencies in the laws of time travel ended up undermining the whole thing. There's no real reason why Amy and Rory had to be left in the past, especially as we're told that River still has the ability to go back and see them.

However, I suspect we'll be seeing them again for the 50th anniversary!

So, I finally caught up on Series 7 Part 2 today. I know I had iPlayer play the Christmas episode but I pretty much ignored it, as I just couldn't get into it.

Anyway.
Episode 1 - The Bells of Saint Thomas
Not bad, I guess. Bit of an odd plot with some rather silly and unrealistic moments (The Doctor flying the plane? Really?), but a fairly good introduction for this Clara. Almost. Except I thought she was terribly done. She spent most of the episode looking around with some stupid sodding grin on her mug. Can we please, please, please stop with the totty and have a companion played by someone who can actually act?

Episode 2 - The something something of something
Hm. Fairly interesting episode, nice reuse of those Fires of Pompeii costumes (well, probably not, but they looked very similar), combined with a lot of people in funny prosthetics. Found the 'Guard' aliens to be a complete waste of time, and - as was discussed in the other Doctor Who topic - the way the Doctor tried to defeat the Sun God Thingy was a bit daft, but I'll agree with those on Twitter who said they found his speech to be good. Smith's had some great speeches, and I felt that was one of the better ones. But I can't believe how stupid Clara was, eating that food from the market and getting involved in stuff. And why was she suddenly okay with all the aliens around her? AND WHY COULD DOR'EEN NOT BE UNDERSTOOD?! Plot holes galore, I reckon. But it was a watchable episode, and I'm sure our resident Dirty Old Man enjoyed the way Clara's bag strap accentuated her TARDISes. Again, stop with the totty.

Episode 2 - The something something of something
Hm. Fairly interesting episode, nice reuse of those Fires of Pompeii costumes (well, probably not, but they looked very similar), combined with a lot of people in funny prosthetics.

Is that me? Well, I guess if the shoe fits... yes, the bag strappage was duly noted and enjoyed though I will admit most of the time Clara was on I was looking at her nose. Left profile definitely more interesting than right. Gods I was BORED!

I am utterly fed up with all the tedious fan-feeding, plot-speculation, red-herringery that has taken over the show. The Alien God Thing referred to as 'Grandfather' after mention of the Doctor having previously been to the Rings of K-something with his granddaughter. And then the whole Roy Batty C-Beams on fire at the end of the Universe crudola. oooh! I wonder... is the Old God really the Doctor like the Face of Bo was Jumping Jack Flash? I'd better get on the interweb and join the feeding frenzy these tantalising titbits have started. (That last bit works a lot better in a heavy-handed sarcastic head voice.)

Daughter Number One (aged 10) is bored with the New Who. (Though she is convinced Clara is The Rani*) It's too soppy. "More fighting and scary monsters" - that's what she wants. That's what I want too. (Though some gratuitous nudity wouldn't come amiss.)

Ahem. An okay episode but better than some we've had, though I think we could have happily done without Clara getting in the way. It was a little Resident Evil/Survival Horror at times, which surprised me a bit, and I'm not entirely sure the Ice Warrior was convincing enough for this episode. How stupid was that professor to think it was a Mammoth? And how stupid was Davos for ordering the Ice Warrior WITH THE BUILT IN WRIST-WEAPON to be locked up IN THE ROOM WITH THE NUCLEAR WEAPONRY? Oh, and why would they have flipping AK-47s on board to use at that depth? A hole could drown the lot of them!

But I don't think it was entirely terrible. Probably one of Matt Smith's better episodes as of late, though it would have worked better if he was on his own and a lot of Clara's parts shifted to a novice crew member.

Ahem. An okay episode but better than some we've had, though I think we could have happily done without Clara getting in the way. It was a little Resident Evil/Survival Horror at times, which surprised me a bit, and I'm not entirely sure the Ice Warrior was convincing enough for this episode. How stupid was that professor to think it was a Mammoth? And how stupid was Davos for ordering the Ice Warrior WITH THE BUILT IN WRIST-WEAPON to be locked up IN THE ROOM WITH THE NUCLEAR WEAPONRY? Oh, and why would they have flipping AK-47s on board to use at that depth? A hole could drown the lot of them!

But I don't think it was entirely terrible. Probably one of Matt Smith's better episodes as of late, though it would have worked better if he was on his own and a lot of Clara's parts shifted to a novice crew member.

If I wanted to be pedantic (and I frequently do....sorry) he was locked in the torpedo room, not with the ICBMs. Different weapons. Although, if he was feeling suicidal, the difference is moot.

Unfortunately for my judgement, Jenna Louise Coleman is so gorgeous that anything she is in is.........well I can't remember because I'm too busy drooling.